


Tale of the Violet Sharingan

by Vlaid



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Butterfly Effect, Discolored Sharingan, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Hatake Kakashi Needs a Hug, How Do I Tag, Identity Issues, Just wait for it, LOTS of violence, Loss of Identity, Main OC is not from Canon-verse, Major Original Character(s), Maybe a bit more graphic than canon, Minato is group dad, My First Fanfic, Naruto's Power Scaling is Bullshit, Not A Fix-It, Original Character(s), Rewriting canon is hard, So I'm altering it, There's a reason for it, Third Shinobi War, Violence, or at least he tries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:35:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29976081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vlaid/pseuds/Vlaid
Summary: Torn from his world in the midst of a life and death battle, a nineteen-year-old man going by the name of Yoruko finds himself in a world that is eerily similar yet different from his own. Battling crises of identity and a sense of purpose, how will he impact the world which has never before seen a violet Sharingan?
Kudos: 1





	1. Diverging Point

**Author's Note:**

> Hey you all, gonna keep this short so you can dig right in. I'm a big-time reader of fanfiction, I've been reading it for over a decade, I love it, and have always wanted to submit one but could never get up the gumption to do it. Finally got the motivation to start this baby off so please be gentle, it's my first time! That said, I'm trying to keep a slight backlog so I can keep the updates relatively consistent but we'll see if I can manage to keep up the pace.

In the midst of the forest a man with long, flowing red hair found himself somewhat disoriented, and confused. Violet eyes scanned the vicinity, a gentle breeze blowing locks of red hair into his face as the moonlight lit up his body through the scant openings in the treeline. The white light caught onto his black long-coat, reflected off of the metal of his finger-less gloves, and his Iwagakurian headband. Mere moments ago, he was in pitched combat with an Elite Guardian, his summon, and some kind of reanimated corpse, and now... Now he was in a forest, for no discernible reason. Flanking him were a number of other shinobi garbed in earthen-hued clothing. His hand tightened on the hilt of the katana he wielded, as he noticed their quarry.

A pair of young shinobi, one a silver-haired male and the other, a female brunette. The boy flashed through a pair of hand-signs, and summoned lightning to his hand, which screamed like thousands of birds singing simultaneously. It was an interesting light-show, but if it was a melee attack like the red-head assumed, then he figured it was a poor choice... Given the number of combatants around. Three tomoe swirled around within violet irises as he punched the tree next to him with his open hand, cracking the bark and snapping the attention of the other shinobi to him, the younger ones included.

“How pathetic.” He drawled out in a voice laced with poison. “It requires this many of you to take down a pair of _children_?” He drawled, a murderous rage burning in his gaze. Without hesitation he rocketed forward, kicking off of the branch with a force that shattered the thick tree-limb. In the next instant he appeared next to the closest Stone Shinobi, running them through before they could comprehend what was happening. The redhead's gaze flickered to the next shinobi, spotting a barrage of kunai coming toward him. Tearing his katana out from his first victim's chest, he twisted around and used the corpse as a shield as yet another shinobi made the mistake of making eye contact with the intruder's violet Sharingan eyes.

That unfortunate individual clutched at his throat as though he couldn't breathe, having fallen underneath the illusion that the man's Sharingan imposed. Another shinobi came at the armored man, who just discarded his meat-shield and blocked the kunai with the back of his hand- the sound of metal on metal rang across the forest as it became apparent that he was wearing metal gloves. Leaping from the tree branch he was on, he descended to the ground, having drawn the ire of all of the stone shinobi by sheer virtue of the threat he was proving to be. Casting a glance at the silver-haired boy, he implanted a gentle compulsion to run. It was a slight genjutsu but he hoped the message would come across in any case. The boy blinked wildly for a moment before twisting to his brunette companion and tugging her away.

“They're getting away!” One of the Iwa-nin declared, but the bloodthirsty redhead quickly moved to dispose of any thoughts of chasing after them.

“So quick to run from a challenge... are all of you so spineless? Or are you under the impression that I'm actually going to let you escape?” The man in the black coat taunted.

“Shut up you damned Uchiha freak! I'll gut you alive! _Doton: Tobi Tsubute!_ ” One of them bravely shouted, before rapidly flying through hand-signs. The redhead read the hand-signs and understood what sort of jutsu it was just as the man moved to slam his hands onto the ground. A barrage of rocks exploded outward, in the direction of the red-haired man who dodged them easily, even as one of the eight remaining shinobi began to sling kunai at him.

The seemingly rogue Iwa-nin wasn't concerned with the kunai, instead opting to utilize ninjutsu of his own, his hands forming multiple seals before eventually settling on one. “ _Suiton: Mizurappa._ ” The man calmly rebutted, firing off a wide wave water in the direction of the projectiles, and pushing them all aside and catching all of his targets with the ninjutsu with exception to two that managed to elude it.

In a calculated movement, the man ran through more hand-signs before they had a chance to recover, breathing a gout of flame at the group. His voice covered the clearing long just before he flash-fried the shinobi before him: “ _Katon: Zukokku!_ ” As the fire touched the ground it exploded into a fierce-some blaze which burned all but the two that had eluded his water-technique to ash. Twisting around, he saw the two that managed to survive fleeing in the opposite direction, trying to escape him. However, he wasn't about to let them escape and spread word of him, not until he had a better idea of where he was.

Chasing after the two, he lobbed a kunai out from his pouch at the further one ahead, nicking him across the tendon in a throw that should've been exceedingly difficult for a regular shinobi, but only moderately difficult for an average Sharingan-user. As for the victim who was closer to him, he closed the distance between herself and him in no time, shoving her face first into a branch and rendering her unconscious before she even registered the feeling of his hand against the back of her skull.

As the still conscious man tried to crawl away, his fear overriding his training, the man in the black coat approached, combat boots treading upon the grass as the trees behind him burned. He carried the woman he caught by the scruff of her neck, unconscious but still alive. The redhead breathed in a sigh of contentment. “It's been too long since I was last able to hunt... Thank you for the mild entertainment... Now it's time you answered a few questions for me... If you do, I promise to release you.” He spoke, dropping the unconscious woman at his side. “Where are we, and why were you attacking those runts?” He demanded to know, his smile slowly fading.

“We're in Kusagakure, near the Kannabi bridge! We were chasing them down because they were going to destroy the bridge!” The shinobi answered with no hesitation, clearly afraid for his life. The presumed Uchiha frowned as though the information he'd been given wasn't sufficient for his purposes.

“Those were Leaf-nin, were they not? Why would they destroy the bridge?” He asked, keeping his tone neutral. If the Leaf-nin were trespassing on their territory... Well... The children weren't to blame, they were born and bred for this kind of thing... However, their leaders... They would be made to see reason. There was no good reason for shinobi so young to have to die on the battlefield, because those that were older couldn't be bothered to risk their life for their own cause.

“We're at war with them! Are you not one of them...?” He asked, confusion bearing down upon him as the man tried to put the pieces together. Sadly for him however, the red-headed man was the one asking the questions, and made that point quite clear as he shoved his foot down on the man's shin, almost snapping it with obviously little effort.  
  
“I did not give you permission to speak, fool. Why do you believe I am one of them? You can clearly see my hitai-ite, can you not?” His words came cold as steel even as the anger behind them continued to burn. The man howled in agony as he tried to remove the man's boot to no avail.

“Gah, because you're a kami-damned Uchiha, aren't you?! I've never heard of one from Iwagakure! There's no such thing as a missing-nin Uchiha!” The man proclaimed in between haggard breaths. The redhead seemed to be sufficiently pleased with this answer, as he removed his boot from the man's leg, just shy of having shattered it.

“You've yet one more question to answer, before you are set free. Who is the current Tsuchikage?” He asked, not even trying to hide the truth of his statement at this point. The man was too far gone to realize his true intentions.

“Onoki-sama! Onoki-sama is the Tsuchikage! There, I've answered your questions haven't I?! now let me go!” He shouted as he tried to crawl away again. The man seemed deep in thought however, as though considering something deeply puzzling. Eventually the movement caught the corner of the redhead's eye, drawing the man's attention as he nodded his head.

“Very well then, I see... Well, it's time to release you, then.” He spoke, moving to catch up with the man. The man turned and witnessed his attacker approaching, and scurried to crawl away faster, but it was useless, crippled as he was. The man kicked him over, and stared into the other man's eyes. The man found himself compelled to keep staring as the man stood atop him, and drew his blade. He opened his mouth to speak but found his words unable to manifest. Even his body was paralyzed and unable to do anything as the man's blade began to sink at a snail's pace into his chest, the pain was excruciating but still he wasn't able to do anything, not even scream even though he finally tried to grasp at the blade, only managing to slice his hands in the process.

“Die quietly, like the worm you are.” The man spoke as his victim's efforts grew fainter, and stopped completely thereafter. Flicking the blood off of his blade, he sheathed the blade and then turned back in the direction those children had run off to. While he had acquired some answers, they only led to more questions. Drawing the loose hitai-ite from his neck, he stared at the symbol of stone upon it and tossed it into the inferno that he had caused. Given the circumstances, it would like prove more hindrance than help, given where their attackers had come from.

_'Even were circumstances different, I'm not so sure that I would be holding onto it for much longer regardless.'_ The man found himself idly thinking. After all, he had been in the middle of fighting with one of the Elite Guardians of Iwagakure, after all. Surely that could have only ended in either his death, or necessitated a retreat from the village. Though, now that his head felt a bit clearer from the slaughter he'd committed, he wondered idly if there had been a third possibility... At any rate, it no longer mattered to him. The name that the man had given, Onoki... It wasn't the name of the Tsuchikage that he recalled. The consequences of such a difference sent tingles down his spine. The possibilities were endless, and he likely had all the time he needed to get the answers he desired.

Catching up to the children was a simple matter for him, as they were clearly exhausted and he was still... Well, he wasn't well-rested but he certainly hadn't exhausted himself yet, though he was lower on chakra than he would ever admit to anyone, he was still quite capable of functioning for some time. Upon finding them after nearly an hour of traveling, he called out to them, so as to not incite a defensive reaction. “Greetings... I come bearing a gift.” He spoke, gesturing at the unconscious- and now also bound- woman he was still carrying by the scruff of her neck. The brunette hid behind the silver-haired boy, who seemed to still be on his guard, but spoke from the comfort of her meat-shield; “Who are you? Why did you help us?”

The girl's timid voice carried across the distance between them as the man drew his free hand up to his chin, the blood on his metal knuckles catching the moonlight between the tree's leaves. “Reasonable enough queries, I suppose... You may refer to me as 'Yoruko', for the time being. My reasoning for your rescue was on a whim, I suppose. I have rather a soft spot for those younger than myself, being harassed by those older than myself.” He responded with little to no hesitation, tomoe spinning within his irises lazily. “Now then, as I've introduced myself... Might I ask whom I have rescued?”

The boy glanced back to the brunette, who seemed to nod at him. While there was little room to truly trust the man, it was plain as day that if he wanted them dead there would be little or less they could do to stop him. “My name is Kakashi Hatake, Jounin of the Leaf village.” He declared, as he lowered the kunai in his hand, in presence lowering his guard but he wasn't about to completely drop his defenses. He had a vow to protect his comrade, after all. However, that didn't stop Kakashi from observing the man with his still-active Sharingan. He noted the chakra within the man was denser than the Iwa-nin from before, though he didn't have enough experience to tell just how much he had compared to someone like his sensei.

The girl took this opportunity to step out from behind Kakashi, and introduced herself as well. “I am Rin Nohara, Chuunin of the Leaf village. Thank you for saving us, Yoruko-san. We're indebted to you.” She spoke, though it seemed there was more she wished to say, as she glanced at the forest floor for a moment, before gazing back at Yoruko, at his eyes. “Why were you here in the first place, though?” She asked, cutting straight through to the heart of the matter.

' _The girl is sharp, to wonder about such a thing, and brave to ask about it while her companion is near about to pass out from the toll of the Sharingan's extensive drain.'_ Yoruko found himself thinking. “My, full of good questions, aren't we? However, I would prefer that to remain secret to myself for the time being. Rest assured, I've no ill intentions toward yourself or your village. All you need worry about for now is ensuring that Hatake-san doesn't overexert himself from use of that eye. He's near about to pass out from its pull on his chakra.” Yoruko pointed out to the two, causing Kakashi to flinch as though he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Rin's eyes widened a bit before looking over to Kakashi, who had the good graces to look away, abashed.

“He's right, I don't know how much longer I can keep going like this. I don't know how to deactivate it, either.” The young Jounin confessed, even though he hated having his weakness being dragged out into the light.

“You can't deactivate it. The only way to prevent it from functioning is by closing your eye, Hatake-san.” Yoruko informed the two of them, meeting him on the ground. He turned to face them, wearing a smile on his face that wasn't comforting... If Kakashi had to put a word to it, it was more predatory than anything. “If you have some bandages, or a headband, now would be a good time to use them... since I'll be traveling with you for the foreseeable future.” Yoruko's words caused the two younger shinobi to glance between each other. While it was true he had saved them, they still weren't totally sure that they could trust someone that they'd just met, savior or not.

“Wait, you're coming with us? Why?” Kakashi asked, a bit defensively. The man hadn't been anything but helpful to the both of them, but so much benevolence without a request for recompense was alarming to Kakashi. If the man was a Leaf-nin, it could be simple generosity toward a member of the same village, even if the Uchiha – Obito aside – tended to be rather reclusive and unwilling to mingle with the rest of the village. It was definitely the body language that the man didn't bother to hide. Predatory smile aside, the newly crowned Jounin couldn't quite comprehend what else was triggering his instinct to stay on the defensive. Needing something more firm than a simple query to his intentions, he elicited a more targeted question. “What do you get out of coming with us?”

Yoruko drew his free hand to his chin in an act of thoughtfulness, as he contemplated the boy's inquiry. These two seemed to be full to brimming with their own questions. _'Such inquisition is well-deserved given my appearance at so convenient a time... I suppose some give is required, in order for me to gain the information I desire. There's too much I don't understand about what's going on. Though I do have a rather large piece of the puzzle, without the rest... I can't be completely sure.'_ He thought to himself, the smile on his face changing to that of a bemused smirk. “To be quite honest... I've no idea where I am, truly. I gathered from one of your attackers that we are near a Kannabi Bridge, but that name holds no meaning to me. I figured as your savior, you wouldn't be opposed to my company, should I offer to continue acting as your protector while your only fighter is near about to pass out from chakra depletion.”

Rin barely hesitated before reaching out for her companion's hand. “Kakashi-kun... I think we should trust him. Yoruko-san did save our lives, and he's obviously a really strong fighter. This is probably the best possible outcome for us, right now.” She offered her thoughts, and while Kakashi seemed hesitant at first... in the end, he knew that she was right. While he was certain that he could travel onward, if they were caught by anymore Iwa Shinobi... Rin and himself would be done for.

“I'll follow Rin-chan's lead on this. We're in your care, Yoruko-san.” The young Jounin responded, closing his left eye which held Obito's graduation gift. He would keep his oath to Obito, and protect Rin from any harm, through any means. Even if it meant accepting the aid of a total stranger, who happened to be in the right place at the right time.

“What an interesting phrase to use, given that I am as much in your care as you are mine. I hope that we can work well together, children of the Leaf.” He spoke with eloquence, nodding toward the two of them. It seemed everything was working out in Yoruko's favor, for once. _'Perhaps I can have things go in my favor, for a change.'_ He thought to himself with a slight smirk upon his face.

The three-pronged knife at his throat however tossed any such notions out the window.

“I'll give you one chance to tell me who you are, and what you're doing with my students.” A calm man's voice came from behind the redhead, whose eyes widened in shock at the sudden appearance of the man behind him. _'I didn't hear anyone approaching, and I know I didn't drop my guard... How did this man manage to sneak up behind me? Did my ears deceive me or did he just ask after_ _his_ _students? Did they coordinate this before hand?!'_ Yoruko thought rapidly as the two young shinobi before him seemed as shocked as he did, given their facial expressions.

“No wait, Minato-sensei! You've got it all wrong, he saved us!” Rin spoke up first, breaking out of her stupor before Kakashi had done so. Kakashi nodded his head a moment after, backing Rin's words even though he was about to collapse from relief at the thought of not having to travel with this strange Uchiha with violet eyes.

“It's true, _'sensei'..._ I was indeed the man who prevented your students' untimely demise.” Yoruko spoke in a dry tone, a finger gently pushing the blade at his throat away, as though to avert any 'accidental' mishaps. He was confident enough in his own medical abilities that he could avert any mortal wounds, though he wasn't sure he would like to find out in either case. He did note that the kunai had some sincerely bizarre markings, though he wasn't sure what they were. They could be fuinjutsu, but Yoruko hadn't studied the art so it was a mystery what the writing was for.

“... I see, alright then. Thank you then, for being there to save them where I failed to.” He spoke, withdrawing his blade and placing the weapon in it's respective holster. He stepped over to check on the two of them, and noticed that Kakashi had a Sharingan eye in place of his old one, and a scar to match. It didn't take much for him to start putting the pieces together, but even still... He had to confirm it for himself. “Kakashi, Rin... Where is Obito?” He asked, as Yoruko observed the man. He had blonde spiky hair with long bangs, wearing gear that was similar to the Iwagakurian shinobi, however the coloration was a mixture of green and blue. In addition, there was a red swirl on the back of his flak jacket, likely a clan symbol. It was likely the man's own, but he couldn't be completely sure without inquiring. As he made the observations, he tuned into the latter half of the conversation.

“... Obito pushed me out of the way, and was crushed underneath of the rubble. He's the one who... Gave me this eye... Can you believe he... Had the nerve to call it a graduation gift...?” Kakashi spoke, clenching his fist as tears began streaming down his face. Minato bent down to his knees and hugged the two of his students close together, in an obvious sign of affection and an attempt to comfort the two of them. If Kushina asked... Minato would tell her it was also to assure himself that these two were still with him.

“Kakashi... Rin... I'm sorry I couldn't be there for the two of you. I'm sorry that I couldn't protect Obito. It sounds to me as though he entrusted you with something very important, Kakashi. Make sure you don't let him down. After all, he'll be watching, right?” He spoke up to the two of them to which the silver-haired ninja could only nod in response, unwilling to trust his voice at this point. Yoruko cleared his throat, and the three of them recalled that there was a fourth wheel involved. Minato turned to look at the man who saved his students and stopped, eyes widening as he stared into a pair of violet Sharingan.

“Purple...?” Minato asked in surprise, as he looked back to his students. The reaction was to be expected, as even where he'd come from, a violet Sharingan was unheard of. However, abnormal colored Sharingan, while exceedingly rare, were not impossible. He had even heard of a rainbow-hued one, though... He doubted the truth of that claim.

“Correct, my eyes are indeed an amethyst hue. If we can move past that, I would like to ask you why your Genin students are out here trying to attempt a suicide mission that the Leaf village should clearly be able to send older shinobi out on.” He demanded, noting that the girl and the boy seemed taken aback at the claim.

“I'm afraid I'm not able to give you that information, since I don't know where your loyalties lie. Giving intel on a village's shinobi force is tantamount to treason. Besides that, you're wrong. Kakashi is a capable shinobi, recently promoted to the rank of Jounin, and Rin here is a certified Chuunin. I won't let you tarnish their achievements no matter if you saved them, or not.” Minato responded firmly, not moving an inch, however Yoruko could tell the man was ready to act if he turned this into a physical confrontation.

Even still, the idea that the boy was a Jounin and that a non-combatant was a chuunin... “ _Ridiculous._ ” Yoruko spat, less than pleased with the answer he received. “You're telling me that a shinobi with barely any combat skills can make it to the rank of Chuunin? How has the Leaf village even lasted this long with that sort of mentality?” He challenged the blond man, his fist clenching tightly enough to strain the leather of his gloves.

Minato stood firm in the face of his opposition however, not moving to answer Yoruko's words in anyway that would give him the information he was attempting to glean. “I don't know where you came from, but you seem to be very set in your ways. With your strength, I can see why you might be upset. We haven't talked very long, but I can tell... You're the sort of person who might come across as cruel, even though you mean well in the end, right?” He spoke, a disarmingly open smile on his face as he spoke.

Yoruko stared at the man's blue eyes, and voiced his own opinion on the matter. “I disagree with your assessment. I only intended to use these children to learn about my whereabouts.” He rebutted, though Minato's smile could only grow at that remark, with a pointed gesture at the woman in his grasp.

“You could have easily obtained the information you wanted by speaking with that woman there, no? Yet you still bound her and brought her with you. That just proves you wanted to ensure that the lives you saved wouldn't be snuffed out.” The blonde man spoke, Kakashi and Rin watching the back and forth with poorly feigned interest. The redhead let out a scowl before clenching his fist.

“Your naive assumptions are boring me. Now that you are aware that I am indeed the savior of your students, I feel the need to ask. Are the Uchiha a clan exclusive to Konoha?” He near-demanded of the blonde, who gestured for them to start walking.

“We should get moving, we're still deep in enemy territory... And the bridge hasn't been destroyed yet. We can talk on the way, if that's fine with you...?” He asked, and Yoruko realized his name hadn't yet come up in conversation. Moving along with him, he glanced back to Kakashi before offering to carry the boy. The girl could still run, but she was likely also drawing close to exhaustion. Her chakra levels were at pitiful levels for what he could consider a Chuunin.

“You may call me Yoruko. Nohara-san and Hatake-san's chakra levels are rather low, so I believe it would be better if we carried them to our destination... Wherever that may be.” He spoke, as the man gave him an odd look. Kakashi seemed to pale at the thought of being carried, but it seemed the option was stolen from him as he fell to his knees, the chakra exhaustion and adrenaline loss finally getting to the boy. The boy's own weakness seemed to nag at him but Yoruko rolled his eyes before pulling him up to his feet. “While your bravery is a good thing, Uchiha-san would not have wanted you to kill yourself from chakra exhaustion. Think of this as motivation for you to get stronger. If he wanted you to protect your friends, then get stronger. Become strong enough to protect everyone you care about. Then your friend can rest in peace, knowing you've succeeded his will.” Yoruko found himself saying, in spite of himself. Damn that blonde man had him pegged down pretty well.

Kakashi seemed to hesitate again for a moment before nodding his head. “You're right, Yoruko-san. That's exactly what Obito would want from me. And... I refuse to let him die in vain.” He spoke, even though he still was hesitant to accept the aid given to him, he held out his hand for Yoruko to help him out. The redhead pulled him to his feet, before letting go of the prisoner he held. She fell to the ground in a heap, raven black hair flowing onto the ground as he drew his hands into a t-shape. Minato recognized the hand-sign even if he couldn't believe he was seeing it.

“ _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!”_ Yoruko spoke plainly as he summoned three clones to his side, causing the three of them to stare at him as though he'd grown another appendage or something. “... What? Don't tell me you've never even seen a bunshin...?” He asked, as the others continued to gawk at him. Their stares were actually beginning to make him uneasy, if were being honest.

“... Yoruko-san... That's a kinjutsu unique to the Leaf village that you just used... How do you know that?” Minato asked, knowing that this strange Uchiha was going to be an absolute headache if he was using Konoha techniques without even realizing it. It was all Yoruko could do to not laugh out loud at the absurd proclamation. The Kage Bunshin was a widespread technique, everyone knew of it! What was this nonsense this man was spewing? Did he get thrown into some sort of odd time where the Leaf had conquered the world and been reduced to this weak force? The comment seemed to throw him into such deep thought that Minato felt the need to clear his throat.

“I- I'm sorry, what you said was just so positively ludicrous that I couldn't stay rooted in place. Did you just say that it was a _Konoha-unique jutsu?_ ” Yoruko asked, incredulity in his voice. What was wrong with these people? If this was a genjutsu, he needed to be released from it... Though he knew he wasn't in one, his rather _extensive_ training throughout his childhood had made it rather difficult to lock him into a genjutsu and keep him in it. “I'm beginning to think I'm more lost than I thought...” He spoke, his hand dragging across his face in an aged expression that looked as though it added ten years to the man's face... Minato noted that Yoruko couldn't be much older than his own students though, by about four or five years at best.

“That's what I said... I have a feeling that we're going to have a lot to talk about on the way to the bridge. Let's get going.” He spoke, as Kakashi and Rin both hopped on a Yoruko clone's back. The two deserved the rest after what they'd been through. Yoruko had a feeling his headache was only going to get worse the longer he stayed... Wherever he was.


	2. Diverging Point Pt. 2

Yoruko, Minato, Kakashi, and Rin had been traveling for a few hours now, making their way toward the Kannabi bridge. Rin, Kakashi, and their prisoner were being carried by Yoruko's shadow clones, while the real Minato and Yoruko lead the way. The two younger shinobi were resting while they had the opportunity, especially now that their sensei was present and able to defend them.

Yoruko's thoughts were on the conversation that had been going on prior to their travel. _'The Kage Bunshin is a jutsu unique to the Leaf ninja... and their sensei didn't rush to answer my inquiry in regard to the Uchiha... That bothers me a bit.'_ Yoruko thought to himself, before clearing his throat. Minato's head inclined slightly in his direction, as though to lend his hearing in the redhead's direction. “You never answered my question, Minato-san.”

“About the Uchiha? Well, the answer to that is... As far as I know, the Uchiha are all aligned to the Leaf village. All of them but one, at any rate... And he should be long dead by this point.” Yoruko heard the man say, beginning to move in silence as he contemplated the new intel.. All of the Uchiha in the world were in one village? He couldn't imagine one village keeping the predominant source of Sharingan in the world to themselves. It would create a huge power imbalance... Or it should, at any rate. It depended on the state of the world, and how long this war had been going on. Perhaps there were just so few of them that it didn't matter that they were aligned to one village.

Though, the fact that just _one_ Uchiha had defected... It piqued his interest, specifically because he had been given intelligence that suggested otherwise. _'Nevermind the fact that the man was fearful for his life... He could have given me further erroneous information as well...'_ Yoruko thought to himself.

“You spoke of a singular Uchiha traitor, Minato-san? Does anyone know the reason for his defection?” Yoruko inquired, to which Minato could only give his best attempt at a shrug mid-jump.

“It's not entirely clear. Some say that he became mad with power, others that he believed the village would continue ostracizing the Uchiha. Even still others say that he knew something that we didn't.” He spoke, before chuckling to himself. “All of these are baseless rumors, though. No one but the Shodaime Hokage knows the truth. Does the name Madara Uchiha mean anything to you, Yoruko-san?” Minato asked, slowing for a moment to watch the expression on the redhead's face. Yoruko could see the observant look on his face, as they slowed down slightly. Truthfully, the name held no meaning to him. The name felt heavy on Minato's tongue, but it didn't bother Yoruko in the slightest. The violet-eyed man shook his head after a moment of careful consideration.

“There is no such man worth mentioning where I come from.” Yoruko added on vocally. At this point, they came to a stop, with Minato noticing a branch or two later. Jumping back, he noticed Yoruko was looking at the unconscious trio on his clone's backs and wondered what the mysterious shinobi was thinking. “... I have decided to share something with you, in the hopes that it puts your mind at ease. You see, Minato... I am _no_ Uchiha.” He admitted quietly. His violet eyes flitted from his clones and their baggage back to Minato. He wasn't sure why he was admitting this if he was completely certain. The chakra the man radiated off was rather warm by comparison to his own, much like his own Sadako. Perhaps that was the reason he felt free to speak.

“Then, those eyes... Are they yours?” Minato asked, his posture still at ease. Yoruko could only smile at the expected response. Because he wasn't an Uchiha, that must mean that he stole someone else' Sharingan, and did something to change them. That was probably the most logical conclusion that the man would draw. Yoruko wasn't upset, rather he was quite pleased. The response he received was the best one that he could hope for.

_'That means that_ only _the Uchiha possess the Sharingan... Which brings me to wonder about other differences... If only the Uchiha possess the Sharingan, that means that there are no other means of acquiring them... Which likely means that there are no devils or gods with which to bargain.'_ Yoruko thought to himself as he closed his eyes. The response he would give would allow him a bit more time to think as he threw Minato for a spin. Shutting off the flow of chakra to his eyes for the first time in ages, he opened his eyes again... Revealing ruby-hues that were cold, filled with deep-seated anger... And confusion. _'But if there is only one source of Sharingan, and they're all allied to the Leaf... That would mean my options have likely been drastically reduced. Perhaps even to only one._ ' He concluded, doing his best to keep his face neutral, even though his eyes held a thoughtful look in them.

The first thing Minato thought to himself when the man claimed that he wasn't an Uchiha was that perhaps the redhead had stolen the Sharingan, and modified them in some manner. But something about that line of thought tickled his gut. It seemed off, in some way. Jiraiya-sensei had always taught him to trust his gut, because his intuition toward people was incredible. He just needed to find out why that was. When Yoruko revealed his true eyes, without the Sharingan active... He wondered what this could mean. A man with a bizarre Sharingan that wasn't an Uchiha... It didn't add up to what he knew, but the truth was before him.

_'It's highly unlikely that he modified the Sharingan, causing the discoloration... I'm not sure that's possible without a lot of work... And probably a lot of mistakes. I'm no medic-nin but I'm pretty sure even Tsunade-sama would be hard-pressed to achieve something like that. Not that the Uchiha would willingly let anyone experiment with their bloodline in such a way.'_ Minato thought to himself, noting the emotions that were evident in the redhead's eyes. His eyes didn't match his face, but that just meant that Yoruko was an expert at hiding his true feelings with his body language. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing in their profession, however.... Minato decided he would trust the man for the time being. He'd looked after his students when they were in peril, and had shown no hostile intentions from the time they had met. He seemed to be every bit the lost shinobi he'd claimed to be to his students.

“With the less serious conversation out of the way, shall we proceed on our journey?” Yoruko spoke as he sent chakra back to his eyes, ruby hues melting into pools of violet, and three tomoe exiting from his pupils, surrounding it and swirling around idly. “I wanted to learn more about the _Kage Bunshin_ from you. Of course... You've given me a good deal of information, so... Perhaps I'll share with you the strengths of my own, in a show of good faith.” The man suggested as he gestured to his clones. A course of action done for more show than effect, as Minato understood the intention to travel. The two men, and Yoruko's three clones continued to move rapidly toward the destination of the mission that Kakashi and Rin had attempted to complete on their own, with the help of Obito.

Over the course of the several hours that they talked, Yoruko learned a good deal of things. He decided that he would label where he had come from as his Homeland, to keep things clearer for himself. In his Homeland, the _Kage Bunshin_ was a jutsu that was fundamentally similar, but still different enough to be worth noting. The variation of the jutsu from his Homeland was useful due to it's efficient chakra cost, the fact that they could function independently, and for the ability to utilize jutsu of any nature. However, in his new location, the jutsu was able to return memory and had a far steeper chakra cost; each additional clone caused a proportional split in the user's total chakra pool. By and far both had their uses, but Yoruko found that he would like to learn the former, as it sounded like an incredibly powerful tool.

The problem however, lie in the fact that it was one of Konoha's kinjutsu, locked in the Scroll of Sealing. While Yoruko was confident that he could _probably_ break in and get to it, he didn't need to make enemies unnecessarily in a place where he had no idea where he could turn to. He had made some temporary allies in Kakashi, Rin, and Minato, however there was no guarantee for him that it would be a lasting arrangement. Yoruko also learned something else of great importance during their conversation... And that was that demons were almost entirely fictional, and the idea of gods walking among them wasn't even a remote possibility. The closest thing to a god that existed to the shinobi of this world was a being known as the Sage of Six Paths... A being that had _also_ existed in his world. If Yoruko didn't already realize he wasn't within a genjutsu, he would be hard-pressed to believe otherwise.

_'The number of similarities between my Homeland and this place are staggering, but things are just different enough... Could this be a dream? Perhaps I lost my fight with Souji, and am in some form of coma. There's one way to find out...'_ Yoruko thought to himself as they finally arrived at the bridge. Yoruko drew a kunai from a pouch on the back of his waist, and brought the blade to his thumb, slashing it open and causing blood to begin dripping from it. The slight jolt of pain that ran up his body was the final nail in the coffin, that this was no dream. _'It's not a genjutsu... It's not a dream... What_ _ **is**_ _this then?! The only things that come to mind are positively_ _ **absurd**_ _possibilities that I could never even begin to accept!'_ He thought to himself, a scowl forming on his face as Minato turned to look at him, seeing the blood dripping from his thumb.

The frustration was palpable even from the short distance Minato was from Yoruko, which lead Minato to speak. “Yoruko-san. After we destroy the bridge, do you have any idea of where you will go next?” The redhead seemed to snap from his thoughts at the sound of his name, and flicked the blood off of his kunai before he replaced it in his pouch. The man raised his hand to the wounded digit on his other hand, and emanated a green chakra which healed the wound in a moment. Yoruko shook his head after a moment of silence following that, and sighed in frustration. “Might I suggest you return with Kakashi, Rin, and myself to the village? You'd probably be able to learn more about your situation, and where you are.” He suggested.

The redhead looked up in suspicion at the man's offer. Yoruko's initial thought was that this was some contrived means of paying him back for a debt he felt didn't exist. However... Though the man had been willing to fight him to protect his students, he held no other hostility toward him. In fact, the man had been downright kind to him the entire time they had been together. He also didn't really have any alternatives that would lead to faster answers... Other than roaming around until he found another village. If what Minato said was true, then the only Sharingan wielders that existed were those within the Leaf village. _'In effect... My only real option is to go with him. I might as well have a bullseye on my back to any other village that is an enemy to the Leaf. That, or go without having the Sharingan active for any amount of time which... Is something I would prefer not to do.'_ He thought to himself.

“It seems my decision is made for me, is it not? I suppose I will take your offer for lack of any... more opportune options.” He spoke, sounding as though it was an inconvenience to him, even though this was the best opportunity he could likely ask for. How he would deal with the clansmen of the Uchiha was a mystery to him, but he'd find an answer along the way, he supposed.

Kakashi and Rin began to stir, and Minato noticed it. But first... He closed the distance between the errant shinobi and himself, and held a hand out. “I'll do my best to help you where I can, Yoruko-san.” He promised, that warm smile on his face that seemed to keep Yoruko's distrustful nature at bay. The redhead reached for the back of his head and scratched it in a troubled manner, as his other hand clasped Minato's own in a firm handshake.

“I'll see to it that I hold you to your word, Minato-san.” Yoruko responded, before glancing over to the two younger shinobi who were descending from Yoruko's clones. Dispelling them in an instant, he moved to the third clone and picked up their prisoner, before dispelling it as well. “I hope you rested well... You're going to have to carry yourselves the rest of the way to the village.” Yoruko called out to the two of them.

“You're really coming back with us?” Kakashi asked, eyes widening slightly. He hadn't expected Minato's infectious personality to work so quickly. He began to doubt if anyone could respond negatively to his sensei's attitude. The redheaded man nodded, before setting down the prisoner against the tree, adjusting the bindings on her hands so that her arms were tied around the trunk. “You should go and handle your bridge detonation, I need to have words with this prisoner.” He gently suggested. A glance in their direction showed their minor hesitation, namely Minato who wasn't sure what the redhead's intentions were for the Iwa-nin. Truth be told, Yoruko wasn't entirely sure himself what he would do, though as in all things, he would wing it with grace... So he believed.

“I've been wondering what you were going to do. Are you intending to let her go?” He asked of the man, who could only shrug in response. “If she has any valuable intel, it could be a great boon to the Leaf village.” He spoke, his loyalty to his own village shining through in this particular moment. Yoruko could only shrug once more.

“If you trust me enough to carry your students this far, I ask that you trust me enough to handle this affair.” He could only respond in a cryptic manner and a predatory smirk. Minato considered briefly, before choosing to allow Yoruko this small freedom. It was enough the man was coming back with them to Konoha. He would rather eliminate an unnecessary variable to the situation, but the redhead would likely be under twenty-four hour surveillance once they reached the village for the foreseeable future. Any intelligence he or the children had given him would be mostly common knowledge, save for the information on Kage Bunshin... But Yoruko still didn't know how to use it, as Minato hadn't shown him or used it himself.

As the three set off to destroy the bridge, Yoruko contemplated the situation. With the information he had, he could likely cause a great deal of chaos even with the little information he did have. He could kill her, but doing so like this would be pointless, and a waste of his effort in carrying her this far. Minato's appearance had removed the need for him to ask her any questions, since he had been a font of information for him. More to the point, his thirst for violence had long since run cold for the moment, due to the necessity for him to remain cool-headed for his current situation.

“Oh, what am I to do with you? If I simply let you free, you'll run back and inform this 'Onoki' of yours about an 'Uchiha with violet Sharingan and red hair'... And that will draw more attention to my person than I would like, as of yet. If I kill you, I'll have wasted effort... and that rankles me even more. I could pass myself off as one of the Uchiha of the Leaf, but if we should meet again, you would realize it had been a ruse. I suppose... The fourth option is forcing you to come with us and making your existence the Leaf's problem. Then there is this 'Madara Uchiha' fellow... If I tried to pass myself off as him, it could cause quite a bit of a mess... But, then we run into the same problem as before... Once that information trickles back to anyone who knows, that too will be a ruse discovered...” He spoke to no one in particular, tapping his forehead in deep contemplation. In truth, he still needed to wrap his head around the things he had dealt with _before_ he had even been... 'misplaced'.

“I suppose we'll just wake you up and see what you think.” He spoke in an indecisive tone, which was highly uncharacteristic for him. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he formed a one-handed seal and released the woman from the sleeping genjutsu he had placed her under after having rendered her unconscious. The effect was instantaneous, with her black hair shifting in front of her face as she began to wake. Eyelids raised and revealed chocolate covered-irises, which quickly shifted into panic as she realized she couldn't move. Squirming around, she fell over and stared at the red-headed man from the grassy ground. Recalling quickly what had transpired prior to her blacking out, she stared the man in object horror, wiggling even more as she realized she was in a hopeless situation.

“Ah, there we are. You're finally awake. Now then, you're in quite the... _difficult_ situation, my dear. Even more so than you realize; you see... I'd initially captured you in the intent to extract information from you later, after making sure that your prey had been secured... Imagine my surprise when I discovered a willing source of information so soon after I'd knocked you out. I thought about killing you, but by the time I acquired an opportunity to... I'd already used up a great deal of effort to carry you all the way out here, to this 'Kannabi Bridge'. Now, I'm not quite sure what to do with you. Letting you go isn't much of an option- not back to Iwagakure, in any case. I can't have them finding out about my existence just yet. So, I'm going to remove the gag from your mouth, and you can choose between three options... Barter for your life, join me in going to Konoha willingly... Or die.” He offered with a smile on his face. True to his word, he removed the gag from her mouth, and waited.

What transpired shortly thereafter was both unexpected, and surprisingly quiet. The woman did not scream, instead staying silent as she considered her options. The red-headed man- no, _demon_ seemed quite a bit more appropriate considering the ease of which he'd disposed of her squadron- had probably taken contingencies to ensure that she wouldn't be heard by any of her allies even _should_ she scream for help... She couldn't help but be grateful for his pragmatism, even if it just meant she lived a little bit longer. Her options were to trade something for her life, leave her village, or die. Given the options, she thought about what she had to offer... And while jutsu was the first thing on the menu, she was a genjutsu user primarily, and for an Uchiha... that was probably the most worthless thing to offer, given their proclivity to the art. “You aren't really giving me a lot to work with here, Uchiha-san. What are you after?” She spoke, trying her best to hold her tone steady in spite of the pressure of her situation weighing over her head like a guillotine.

Yoruko's smile faded as he thought about what she could possibly offer to him. If it was information, he would be able to get all the information he needed out from the Leaf shinobi he had made allies of. Intel on the Iwagakurian shinobi would be useful, but... He had no means of an information network to speak of. Even if he could, realistically manage to convince her to be a spy, it wouldn't be in any reasonable amount of time. Even still, she could simply give him her word and then not uphold her part of the bargain. “... More allies are always useful. However, the risk of you ousting my identity to Iwagakure is a far greater risk than I am willing to take, without hefty leverage. Are you willing to betray your village not just by leaving them, but by acting as a spy?” He offered, curious to see her reaction.

“Don't you think you're being unreasonable?! If I did that I would be walking a tightrope for the rest of my life, and probably even die!” She spat out at him, brown eyes narrowing in what Yoruko suspected to be anger at the thought of living on the edge no matter where she was, at all times.

“Don't you think killing children is even _more_ unreasonable?” Her captor responded with a chilling tone, the atmosphere around her shifting from uncomfortable to dark. She wasn't sure if it was a genjutsu or just her perception of the redhead, but the sky itself seemed to darken despite being early morning. A chill ran down her spine as she knew he was referring to those two Leaf brats that she'd been ordered to take down.

“Even if I did think it was unreasonable, would it matter?! We're at war, and we're damned shinobi! Sending twelve-year-old kids into battle is part-and-parcel with this kind of thing, whether I like it or not! I'm a _shinobi_! On the field of battle, you do what you're told or you're branded a traitor!” She rebutted, in spite of her compromised position. She wasn't surprised when she felt a blade at her throat for her words.

“How long has this _disgusting_ state of affairs been going on?” If there was one thing he reviled more than anything, it was sending children into hostile situations where adults should be instead. He found himself wondering how many children were traumatized at a young age in this place... Forced to kill to survive, for a village they were taught to believe was perfect in every way.

“How long has... Have you been living under a rock? This has been going on since before the shinobi nations were even _formed_! Does the 'Era of Warring States' mean _anything_ to you?!” She asked, even as the blade pressed harder against her throat, causing drops of blood to trickle down. She was treading a far finer line than she had been a moment ago, but she had already accepted her powerlessness in this situation. She was prepared to die at this point; to hell with spying on her village for this ignorant person, stronger than her or not.

“You mean to imply... That the world has _always_ been like this, then?” Yoruko asked in a frosty tone, as the woman's chocolate hues narrowed at him in clear disbelief.

“I'm not implying anything, you jerk! It's not fair, how can someone like you be so ignorant, yet be so _strong_?” Yoruko's prisoner cried out in frustration as the man stood there silently. He withdrew his blade from her throat, and flung the drops of blood it had accrued off into the air, before sheathing it in a fluid motion. Her eyes widened as he drew closer, the hypnotic rotation of the tomoe in his violet Sharingan eyes getting close enough that they were all that could hold her attention. She felt his touch on her throat where she was bleeding and a chill ran down her spine. Was he going to choke her to death? She closed her eyes, waiting for the end when she realized she felt a warmth where she expected a deathly tight grip. “Y-you're healing me?” She asked, eyes opening as her face contorted into one of shock.

The expression on her face didn't last long however as it twisted into one that held doubt. He could just be stringing her along for all she was aware; it was incredibly unlikely that someone, especially an Uchiha wouldn't be aware of events not even a century old.

“Of course I am. It would be hard for you to speak if your neck injury grew as a result of your mouth running. I have decided what I want from you. You will give me a history lesson pertaining to the events of this land. Humor me, and I might just allow you to live.” The man spoke as he took a seat upon the grass.

“Are you _for real_?” The woman asked, bristling at the man's touch despite the fact that he was being rather gentle with her. She wasn't sure what it was, but the man's disposition toward her seemed to have shifted slightly. She let out a drawn-out sigh of disbelief before she closed her eyes, trying to remember for herself what she had learned back in her academy days.

The tale that she spun was a pitiful one, weaved in blood, tears, and unyielding cruelty. For years yet unknown man fought against man in pitched combat for the sake of survival, trusting no others that were capable of ninjutsu that existed outside of their clan. In an effort to survive, children were forced to battle against others, against adults, and even at times amidst their own kin in order to survive. One day, two clans of note rose up: The Senju, and the Uchiha. Such a thing caused unrest in the other clans of the world. These two clans were notorious for being at war with each other near endlessly, so for those two of all clans to join together was an impossible concept for the others.

This was the dawn of the village system. In the years that followed, clans formed pacts with each other and formed five major villages, with many smaller villages spread throughout the shinobi world. The power of the nations was unstable however, and a lust for resources and land lent itself as the catalyst for the First Great Shinobi War. During the war, the first ever Five Kage Summit was created, and they attempted to discuss a means that would end the war. After this, a shinobi by the name of Madara Uchiha attacked two of their own- ironically the next two Tsuchikages. However, though the series of demons referred to as Tailed Beasts were distributed throughout the differing nations, the war continued, likely due to the attack by the former Leaf shinobi. Eventually however tensions began to cool and an armistice was signed, which eventually led to peace.

A fragile peace, at best it seemed, as it only lasted twenty years. Throughout all of this time, the system in which shinobi were forged and sent into battle as children only continued- though they were older now than before, at the age of twelve or older with exceptionally few cases of children younger than that finding their way to the battlefield. This war too, was started under the guise of expanding territory and increase their power. Minor villages forged in the lands between Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Konohagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure suddenly found themselves at the center of a battle that had nothing to do with them.

Eventually this war ended due to Konoha's overwhelming military strength comparative to the others, thanks to a woman by the name of Tsunade of the Sannin; the Sannin were a set of three shinobi trained by the Third Hokage himself and who were capable of fighting and surviving against a shinobi named Hanzo the Salamander; a man himself that was thought to be unbeatable by many. This Tsunade led a revolutionary change to the system of teams which forced the inclusion of a single medical shinobi within every four-man squad, drastically increasing survival and success rates for missions that the Leaf shinobi pursued. With all other combatants being forced to withdraw from the war due to losses in forces, the Second Shinobi War ended not with a bang, but a whimper.

“But that peace didn't last, thanks to the smaller villages trying to take advantage of the weakened forces of the Major villages. Thanks to them, we got dragged into another world war. This one's been going on for about... six years.” She finished the tale, more or less getting the most important parts of the shinobi world history that she'd learned. Yoruko during this time had taken a reclined pose, with his right hand holding his head up as he listened to her go on. Not a single time had he interrupted her, his studious gaze making her nervous from time to time.

Yoruko's face was neutral the entire time but she could feel his chakra flickering to life every time she mentioned children being flung into battle. However, he now closed his eyes and she was left with nothing for it but to try to get the blood flowing in her hands again, since her bonds were rather tight, making it difficult for her to keep her limbs from falling asleep.

_'… There is no longer any doubt... I have not been flung into the past, nor the future, or any such_ _ **ridiculous**_ _notion. This is a different world entirely, even if there are an uncanny amount of similarities; names, techniques, even the styles of dress are remarkably similar. Trying to wrap my head around this is... beyond my reckoning. I am a_ _ **warrior**_ _,_ _not a scholar!'_ Yoruko thought to himself as his face shifted into a small scowl. He heard the woman flinch against the tree at the change and a sigh exited from his lips. _'Still... I've no idea how to return...'_ His thoughts continued, as he began to rise to his feet.

He turned his back to her, and faced the bridge which was his current allies' target. They were moving quickly but to his sharp vision it appeared they still had yet more time before they would detonate the bridge. Now that he had a minute to stop and think about things, he found himself dwelling on the events prior to his appearance in this land.

After a lifetime of living with Guro and Ayame, being chained down to act as their tool for their own purposes, he had finally found the catalyst that had set him free. A revelation that had shattered his fear and crushed it beneath a hatred so fierce that the brutality of the way he murdered the two of them didn't even begin to slake the thirst for violence he had craved. His chakra began to manifest around him as a subconscious reaction to his thoughts; red and black flames licked at his skin and cast upon him the semblance of a demon.

The discovery that the most important aspects of his life had been a falsehood, coupled with other truths that had been revealed to the redhead caused him to begin to tremble with fury. The wind began to kick up around them, causing the man's hair to billow to and fro as the woman began to feel a sinking feeling within her stomach.

The Iwa kunoichi couldn't believe what she was seeing- the feelings that were crawling around her body and causing goosebumps to form on her skin. The chakra around the man began to distort the light around them, causing the morning sun to appear powerless against the immensely cold hatred that he was emitting. “How is... that possible?” she asked silently, wondering if it was the man's anger made manifest.

Before she had a chance to even contemplate thinking further about the awful sight before her she felt an immense pressure, as though she were being buried beneath an invisible boulder, rendering her immobile. The fear she had felt before had shifted into terror the likes of which she had never before even imagined. Her instincts screamed for her to run from the facsimile of a demon before her but found herself unable to act beneath the sheer weight of killing intent that bore down upon her.

She tried to breathe but found herself capable of even that, her body emitting a cold sweat as she tried to find words to describe this inhuman monster before her- this titan among men. The sheer power he was emanating was more than anything she could even fathom- it was no small wonder why she and her squadron had been crushed like so many ants beneath the gravity of this man's power. That selfsame power that was now rolling over her skin and freezing her with it's dark presence. All thoughts of surviving this encounter fled before the countenance of the demon in human flesh before her.

The overwhelming feeling power the man was exuding was so great that she believed even the legends of this world – the tailed beasts, the so-called god of shinobi that was the First Hokage, or the Professor, hell even her own Tsuchikage- would be hard-pressed to fight this man, so she couldn't even begin to imagine trying to take this man on by herself. Just as the woman's vision began to blacken, the oppressive pressure began to fade and she drew in a much needed breath even as the frosty air bit at her lungs.

It was beyond her reckoning, as to what had caused the man's mood to spiral into something so sinister... so hateful. She knew that it couldn't have been anything that she said, the man had been perfectly silent, totally neutral-faced... for the most part. There had been a few instances where his expression had flickered into something angry. Yet even still, nothing so dark as what she had just been privy to.

Yoruko slowly began to turn around, the violet hues of his eyes penetrating the chocolate irises of the woman who was no longer frozen in fear, but still utterly terrified by him. “I suppose... Now that I know the truth of your land, that I can forgive you for your actions.” He started, as he moved toward her. She flinched as he drew nearer, fear quite evident in her shivering but he did not react to it. He instead drew his katana, slashing the rope binding her hands and feet before returning to the edge of the cliff, and sheathing his blade once more.

“When we spoke before about the way things were, you seemed to express a degree of discontent toward them. I realize now why neither yourself, nor others that may feel similarly... have moved to change the current status quo. A lack of faith in your abilities- in your own convictions- prevents you from acting to create a better future, for yourself or others.” His words conveyed a sense of empathy that the kunoichi found both surprising and impossible to believe. As if someone this strong could have ever suffered like she had. With that much strength, how could you ever know pain, or indecision? With that much power, she could...

“So instead, you wait like a serpent searching for the opportune moment to strike. Watching for your chance to inflict the change you desire to make. But that time may never come. You can wait days, weeks, months... even a decade or longer before your chance arrives.” He spoke, turning his head to face her with only one of his violet Sharingan before moving on. “If you desire change you must act. It is a difficult lesson to learn... and one that I myself have only recently understood.” Again his words rang with empathy and again, the kunoichi could only feel doubt at his words; though she could see the emotion in the man's singular eye that was visible.

“I'm not sure what change you want to see in the world, nor do I know what you have lost... but it has been made clear to me that this world is _sick_ . Sending children onto the battlefield, perpetuating war after war... a world that continues on this path can only end in the mutual destruction of _all_ .” He cast his vision back out to the bridge and closed his eyes again, not that the kunoichi was able to see as much. “While someone like you may lack the power needed to fight for the changes you desire... That is not a problem that _I_ suffer from. I did not come here by choice, nor do I have any idea as to how to return from whence I came. But so long as I am here... I _refuse_ to be part of this sort of system!” He spat angrily, before turning to face the woman before him, the man's face twisted into an expression of defiance.

The woman wasn't entirely sure what she was hearing, nor was she sure that she wasn't dreaming; that she hadn't already died, for that matter. Everything she'd experienced upon waking up had seemed completely surreal to her. Much like the tale of the Sage of Six Paths, she felt that this all was a fantasy of her own making. As she rose back to her feet, the kunoichi stared at the man who seemed so different now, compared to the torrential hailstorm of emotions that had run it's course with him at its epicenter not but mere minutes ago. The man wasn't wrong that she had no love for the way things were, and his way of referring to her own powerlessness was crass but she couldn't refute it.

However, it seemed Yoruko wasn't yet finished. “Regarding those earlier options I offered... As a token of my appreciation for enlightening me, I will allow you two choices. You may leave here, and return to your masters. Or...” He trailed off, stepping slightly closer to her and holding his palm out to her as though to shake hands. “You may accompany me to the Leaf village as a defector, and help me to create a future where children aren't forced out into the battlefield... Where individuals are free to fight for the causes they believe in. Will you lend me your aid?” He requested of her, his palm twisting so that it was parallel to the sky.

The Iwagakurian kunoichi wasn't quite sure what to think. Before, she had only wanted to make it back home after her guard duty was done. When they'd discovered the intruders, she and the rest of the squadron had been told to defend their position in the unlikely event that the kids they found were able to defeat Mahiru, Taiseki, and Kakko. The fact shinobi as young as they were able to win against the three Jounin-level shinobi was shocking, but the losses that squadron from Konoha had incurred were enough to enable her squadron of Chuunin to defeat them... At least, that would have been the case.

Now that she was in this position, she felt herself try and fail to suppress a shudder at the gravitas behind the man's request, and the thoughts that ran through her mind. How many people had the opportunity to do something that could affect the world? She couldn't lie to herself, the man had a way with words that moved her, but at the same time... she refused to allow herself to be swept away by pretty words by an even prettier face.

“... How are you so confident...? How can you believe that you can do something as crazy as... as changing the way the world works? Who... Who even _are_ you?” She asked, her composure lost amidst the barrage of unending events that she had been beholden to. Unaware was she, that a feeling long forgotten began to course through her, comparable to excitement even though she was anything _but_.

“You want to know why I believe I am capable of such a thing...?” He asked, a mirthful chuckle spilling forth from his lips as he raised his open palm to his chest before sliding it to his face, his violet Sharingan glowing in the shadows of the light thrust upon them by the clouds covering the sun's illustrious touch. “Do you know why birds fly...? Why wolves hunt? I'll tell you. It is because it is ingrained within them by their very instincts to do so. That selfsame instinct that guides them is telling me that I am capable of accomplishing this. I was raised for the sole purpose of slaying gods and demons alike; by my very nature it is in me to oppose the norms; for me to defy _all_ expectations.” He spoke as his voice became heated with passion. His hand, formerly resting on his face, fell back down to his side.

“It should come as no surprise that one who has been burdened with the destiny of cutting down gods and demons would eventually seek an even less tangible quarry; to slice through the very karma this world reeks of. You desired to know the one who would _dare_ to challenge the status quo of this world? My name... is 'Yoruko'. Just as the day must fade so that the night may come, I will _shatter_ the shackles of the past that chain down this world so that it may move toward a brighter future!” He shouted, raising his hand and crushing an imaginary chain in his grasp as an explosion blossomed like a glorious flaming flower. The ground rocked around them and yet while the kunoichi found herself holding onto the tree for stability she saw that Yoruko was still holding his pose. “Now that you have a better idea who you are dealing with... Have you come to a decision?” He asked, as that fist which had been so taut mere moments ago was now held up to her.

The woman stared at the redhead in a mixture of awe and fear, unsure how to identify the third emotion that was fluttering through her body. She hadn't felt anything like this since she was a child, first discovering the wonders of using chakra, before the war had begun. The man's belief in his own abilities, and in his convictions awakened something within her that she didn't realize she had forgotten. She felt like she was waking up for the first time, to a world brimming with color, where before she had only seen shades of gray.

In the same moment that she discovered what the sensation was, a massive explosion rocked the world around her, but her focus was on the man between her and the blaze of flame and debris. This feeling she had... was it hope? “... My name is Fumine Kagisa... and...” She paused, deciding how to answer the man's invitation. It should have been a simple answer for an average Iwa-shinobi... however, Fumine had been wanting to defect for some time now. Just as he had spoken earlier of not taking the initiative, she realized that this was the best opportunity that she had been waiting for. “I don't want to fight... But if I can help you... I will offer you my aid, Yoruko-san.” Fumine responded to him, and reached her fist out to bump against his.

The man smiled at her acceptance, and shifted his hand to grasp her forearm. Pulling the woman to her feet, he heard the sound of three shinobi coming to their position, and he turned around to see the Konoha trio arrive before him. Minato noted that the redhead seemed to be in a better mood by and far than he had mere moments ago, and he wondered what exactly had transpired between the two of them. The woman seemed to be... rather pleased at this turn of events. That was odd, considering she was a prisoner, but he had a feeling that Yoruko was about to enlighten them.

“It seems your mission is accomplished, Team Minato. As you can see... I've finished up what I was doing as well. Kagisa-san here has seen fit to defect to Konoha, given the options presented to her.” He spoke, resting a hand on his waist opposite to the sword on his left side, in a relaxed posture.

Minato looked warily at the woman, who appeared to be looking at Yoruko with an expression that he wasn't sure he could understand. How did Yoruko convert a prisoner into a comrade? Either the man had a silver-tongue, or something else was going on. In either case... He had decided to trust in the redhead for now, and while that intense killing intent had concerned him for a moment, the fact that the woman wasn't dead meant that it had been resolved... somehow. For the time being, he didn't have a good enough reason to walk that decision back and so he would instead smile, nodding to the woman. Kakashi and Rin were incredibly wary of the woman however, given what had recently transpired to the two of them, and didn't seem too keen on accepting her presence just yet.

“Well, now that we've finished the mission, it's time to head back to Konoha. Yoruko, you're in charge of Kagisa-san, since she's bound to have something useful information no matter what her rank. For the reason of keeping her identity as a defector secret, you should probably continue to treat her like a prisoner until we make it back to the Land of Fire.” Minato stated, before looking at his two students. Their apprehension was palpable, given that it was an Iwa-nin that had killed Obito... but Kakashi had already avenged his fallen comrade, and he had inherited Obito's will. The loss of Obito was terrible, and he would never let himself live this failure down... But perhaps even with the ill that had come, some good had come of this mission as well. Given how unworldly his students were though, he would keep that positivity to himself for now lest such optimism be poorly received..

Yoruko nodded, glancing over to Fumine. “I'm going to need to tie you up again... I should probably put you back to sleep again for the time being, to make it convincing.” He stated, before the woman stared into his violet eyes, and promptly passed out, not bothering to resist the genjutsu. Yoruko caught her and set her on the grass before re-binding her, temporarily. _'Perhaps this is the reversal of fortune I have been waiting for.'_ He thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically just over a week, but it couldn't be helped. This chapter was rewritten between three and six times before I finally was pleased with how it turned out. See you all next week!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter, and I'll have the next chapter up next week probably around Wednesday. If you see something I missed feel free to point it out. I'm mostly my own editor but I do have a few friends who are prereading it to help me catch anything I missed. Thanks and seeya next week!


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